Churchill and the Two Variants of Democracy

ABSTRACT In his early political career, before World War I, Winston Churchill was a radical. His first campaign was based on a promise to deliver authentic democracy by establishing economic rights to share wealth broadly. At the hustings, he fought the good fight. When it came to drafting the legislation on fiscal reform, however, he dissembled. This allowed for the continuation of a variant of democracy in which free riders (the idle rich) exercise veto power over tax policies. Statecraft remained compromised. Churchill's vision of a politics funded out of society's net income (rent) remained unfulfilled. Why Churchill failed needs to be understood if we are to enhance the prospects of reshaping statecraft in the 21st century.